ES

HISTORY

In 2001, the Board of Governors of Cosmetic Executive Women, Inc., came across a startling realization: Five out of 40 of its board members had been diagnosed with cancer. Some of them told their colleagues at work, others did not. But all continued to work during or following treatment and were faced with similar dilemmas, such as:

The truth is, work doesn’t stop once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. And once diagnosed, work can become even more important.

Realizing that there was no single entity to turn to for guidance on these issues, the CEW Foundation — the charitable arm of Cosmetic Executive Women — decided to create a program to provide cancer patients and survivors with the information, tools and services they needed to navigate work after a cancer diagnosis. The result: Cancer and Careers.

For the past 20 years, we have been educating and empowering individuals, healthcare professionals and organizations to better navigate the intersection of employment and cancer.

2001
  • CAC founded, with one staff member
  • English website, www.cancerandcareers.org, launched
2002 2003 2004
  • CAC conducts its first survey in conjunction with the Harris Poll
2005
  • Managing Through Cancer Workbook published, in English
2006 2008 2009 2010
  • First of many CAC programs receives official accreditation for healthcare professionals
2011 2012 2013 2014
  • Regional Conference program launched, with the first Midwest Conference on Work & Cancer, in Chicago
  • Underserved Regions Initiative launched, with initial workshops presented in Alabama, Alaska and Hawaii
  • CAC’s Executive Director, Rebecca Nellis, participated in a briefing on Capitol Hill, hosted by ThinkWellPoint and the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
  • Cancer and Careers launched its “Be the Boss Over Cancer” tagline
2015 2016 2018
  • Regional Conference Scholarship program launched, for both the Midwest and West Coast Conferences; a combined total of 29 recipients attended
  • Executive Director Rebecca Nellis presented at South by Southwest Conference, in Austin, TX
  • CAC’s Founder, Carlotta Jacobson, honored by Susan G. Komen Greater NYC with the John Mac Carter Award
2019 2020
  • Annual Regional and National Conferences on Work & Cancer held virtually for the first time
  • Financial Assistance Grants program launched

CEW, Inc., is a New York–based nonprofit trade organization of more than 10,000 executives in the beauty, cosmetics, fragrance and related industries.

Want to tell someone you know about Cancer and Careers? Download one-sheet